Washington — Washington (AFP) – President Donald Trump His administration says the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has been completed and is scheduled to be filled with water any day now.
Trump noted that work on painting the shallow basin a deep shade, which he called “American Flag Blue,” was completed on Wednesday. Management said in Court file It is scheduled to be filled with water no later than Sunday.
As of early Thursday, there were still vehicles in the basin and no sign of water in it.
Trump estimated the cost of work on the complex at between $1.5 million and $2 million, however Records appear At least $14.8 million worth of contracts It was granted For the project. The president announced the work in April during an unrelated appearance in the Oval Office, saying he was inspired by complaints from a visiting friend from Germany who described the pool as dark and disgusting.
The project is another way for Trump to leave his mark on the city Demolishing the East Wing of the White House To build a large ballroom and Plan to build an arch Between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
The reflecting pool, more than 2,000 feet (610 m) long, was originally there Built in the 1920s. Located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, it is one of the most iconic sites in Washington. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech there in 1963.
The basin held about 6.5 million gallons of water, roughly the equivalent of 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools, before it was renovated in 2012, according to the National Park Service. Under this previous renovation, the pool was redesigned with a circulation and filtration system that would draw river water from the nearby tidal basin instead of using city drinking water. Washington and surrounding states are facing drought conditions.
Critics say Trump, a Republican, is spending Lots of time and attention into his pet projects And it is not enough on the issues voters care about, such as the cost of living, in the run-up to the November election. Others said he wanted the reflecting pool to look more like a swimming pool.
Last month, a Washington-based nonprofit called the Cultural Landscape Foundation I filed a lawsuit Asking a judge to force the Trump administration to halt work on the dark gray Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying the new paint color suggests a “theme park.”
Order in the case Still to come, the Trump administration notified the court on Wednesday that the work had been completed, and the basin was scheduled to be filled by Sunday.
A message requesting information from the Interior Department, which oversees the Park Service, was not immediately responded to.